Tag: Arkansas Baskeball

Two Hogs announce their intentions to leave Arkansas Basketball, enter transfer portal

That didn’t take long. These two are more than likely just the beginning.

Not even 24 hours after the Razorbacks’ season ended with an 80-66 loss to South Carolina, two Hogs have announced their intentions to enter the transfer portal.

Two years after being a part of the highest-rated recruiting class in Arkansas basketball history, sophomore Joseph Pinion will leave Fayetteville per Nick Wenger on X.

Pinion was a four-star prospect out of Morrilton, Ark. according to 247Sports. He signed in the same class as now NBA stars Nick Smith Jr., Anthony Black, and Jordan Walsh but was the only player to stay in Fayetteville after the 2022-23 season.

He was known for his shooting abilities at Arkansas. Unfortunately, he had a hard time getting on the court as he struggled with man defense, a coach Eric Musselman a staple. Pinion finished his career at Arkansas with a 34.6 shooting percentage and made 23/25 from the Charity Stripe.

The other Razorback to make his intentions known is Denijay Harris. Harris transferred to Arkansas from Southern Mississippi for the 2023-24 season after having a breakout year.

However, his time with the Hogs wasn’t as fruitful. Harris recorded just 49 minutes in 11 games played for 7 points on 4 attempts.

This is just the first of many expected to leave the program as Musselman tends to start completely over after every season. The transfer portal will officially open on Monday for basketball.

Pinion will have 2 years of eligibility left. Harris, on the other hand, is a fifth-year senior. He will likely apply for waiver to continue playing.

 

Photo Gallery: Senior Night ends in triumphant fashion

To say this season has been up and down is an understatement, but what a way to end things in Bud Walton!

The crowd might have been lacking in Bud Walton Arena, but the Razorbacks put on a performance fit for 20,000 fans last night.

Arkansas continued its new-found offensive success with a 94-83 win over LSU.

The Tigers might be 16-14, but they were on a small 4-2 streak coming into Fayetteville, with wins against No. 11 South Carolina and No. 12 Kentucky.

They had much to play for, including SEC Tournament seeding and a potential NIT invitation. Instead, LSU met an Arkansas team that—although too little, too late—has started to figure things out.

The Hogs seemingly couldn’t miss, scoring 61% from the floor and 82% from the free throw line. They were also unselfish, with 18 assists to LSU’s 9. From start to finish, Arkansas controlled the game.

The Razorbacks have a chance to stay above .500 for the regular season, but it’ll be tough. Arkansas will have to play No. 16 Alabama in Tuscaloosa to end the season.

The chemistry seems to have finally settled in for Arkansas, but is it enough to beat the Tide and go on a run in the SEC Tournament?

Hogs tangle with No. 15 Kentucky; Battle on verge of scoring history

Arkansas has a two-game win streak at Rupp Arena, but the Razorbacks enter Saturday’s game as a 13.5-point underdog.

Just when it looked like it may finally be turning the corner this season, the disappointing Arkansas basketball team squashed any momentum with an 85-82 loss to Vanderbilt in Bud Walton Arena on Tuesday night.

Now, the ravaged Razorbacks (14-14, 5-10 SEC), a 13.5-point underdog,  must now try to get back in the win column playing inside one of college basketball’s toughest environments, Kentucky’s legendary Rupp Arena. The Hogs and No. 15 Wildcats will tip off at 12:30 p.m. on CBS.

Arkansas had won its previous two games, prior to Tuesday, taking out Texas A&M on the road and Missouri at home – completing the season-sweep against both teams. But Vandy (8-20, 3-12) hobbled into Fayetteville and defeated the Razorbacks for the third straight time.

This will be the second meeting of the season for the Cats and Hogs, after Kentucky (20-8, 10-5 SEC) won 63-57 in Fayetteville on Jan. 27. Arkansas led at halftime of that game, and even held the advantage with 13 minutes left in the game, but then allowed the Wildcats to score eight unanswered points down the stretch to seal their fate.

Arkansas and Kentucky have a celebrated history against each other, although the Wildcats do hold a 35-14 lead in the all-time series. This will be the 50th meeting between the two schools on the hardwood. Although Kentucky does hold a 15-5 edge in Rupp, the Razorbacks have won the past two meetings in that arena.

Senior Khalif Battle has been on fire the past two games for Arkansas, putting up a career-high 42 points in the win over Missouri, then 36 against Vanderbilt. The 78 points in back-to-back games rank second in program history, only behind Martin Terry’s 82 in back-to-back games in 1973. Terry scored 35 at TCU, then 47 at home against SMU.

If Battle can score 30 points on Saturday, he would join Mason Jones as the only Razorbacks to score 30-plus in three straight contests. In 2020, Jones put up 34 against South Carolina, then 30 at Alabama, followed by 40 at home against Auburn. He was named AP SEC Player of the Year following that season.

After Kentucky, the Hogs have two regular-season games remaining Those include its final home game against LSU on Mar. 6, then the finale at Alabama on Mar. 9.

Arkansas basketball great was selected to this year’s class of SEC’s Legends

Arkansas great will be honored during halftime of the Razorback’s first SEC Tournament game

The SEC announced Wednesday that former Hogs power forward Derek Hood will be this year’s SEC Legends section for Arkansas.

Each of the 14 schools in the conference will have a representative at the SEC Tournament. The members will be recognized during halftime of their respective school’s first game.

Hood is the all-time second-leading rebound in Arkansas history, averaging 7.6 rebounds a game. His 1,002 boards ranks behind only Sidney Moncrief’s 1,015.

He was also a decent scorer, averaging 9.5 points a game and scoring 1,247 points as a Razorback. Hood’s scoring abilities peaked at Arkansas his senior year where he averaged 12.4 points a game, with an SEC-best 10.3 boards. He also led the conference in shooting percentage with 56.5% from the floor.

The aforementioned Moncrief and Hood are the only players in Arkansas history with more than 1,000 points and rebounds.

The 6ft-8 forward played at Arkansas between 1995 and 1999, starting 122 out of 131 games. He led the Hogs to 3 NCAA Tournament appearances in 1996, -97, and -98, and a NIT Final Four in 1997.

The SEC Tournament will be held March 13-17 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. Here is the list of Legend set to be recognized:

Alabama – Richard Hendrix

Arkansas – Derek Hood

Auburn – Cliff Ellis

Florida – Taurean Green

Georgia – Rashad Wright

Kentucky – Orlando “Tubby” Smith

LSU – Darrel Mitchell

Ole Miss – Dwayne Curtis

Mississippi State – Timmy Bowers

Missouri – Willie Smith

South Carolina – Joe Rhett

Tennessee – Chris Lofton

Texas A&M – Elston Turner

Vanderbilt – Frank Seckar